TIRANA, December 4
Starting Monday, December 7th Albania will implement the COVID-19 antigen rapid test in an attempt to contain another wave of infections, Health Minister Ogerta Manastirliu said on Friday.
She added that 100,000 antigen tests recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) were secured.
The rapid antigen test will first be implemented in Tirana, the region with the highest number of active COVID-19 cases (10,282 on Thursday), and later in other districts. The first stage of the testing, 7-20 December, will be conducted by epidemiologists on the confirmed hotspots.
The Minister added that after December 20th, the testing will continue in some healthcare centers in Tirana and further in other districts. Family practitioners will be responsible for test scheduling to avoid queues and crowds.
More details on the testing sites will follow. Meanwhile, starting December 20th rapid antigen test kits will be provided to regional hospitals for emergency cases to complement existing molecular PCR tests.
Many countries are turning to faster and cheaper tests to avoid delays and trace those infected quickly. Even though the rapid antigen test is not as accurate as the PCR test, it can help to contain the number of infections.
Source: Health Minister Facebook PageÂ
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.